•Tinubu and the crashed military aircraft (Photo credit: Premium Times)
President Bola Tinubu has declared a three-day national mourning over the military aircraft crash in Ondo and is also calling for a probe into the incident.
He also directed that flags should be flown at half-mast throughout the country as a mark of respect to the officers, reports Channels TV.
In a statement yesterday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu “extends his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.”
A military source confirmed to our correspondent that all 32 persons on board the aircraft died in the crash.
The passenger aircraft was on a “routine mission” from Benin City in southern Nigeria to the economic hub of Lagos when it went down at Igbokoda in Ondo State shortly after 9:00 am (0800 GMT), the president and the Air Force said.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
“I commend the Nigerian Air Force for activating an immediate Search and Rescue operation following the accident. I pray for the repose of the souls of the gallant officers and for Almighty God to grant their families and the Nigerian Air Force the fortitude to bear the unfortunate loss.
“I assure the Nigerian Air Force of the continued support of our administration as they continue their vital role in securing our nation. I also commend the swift response of first responders and the Ondo State Government at the crash site,” the president said.
The Air Force will release the identities of the victims after notifying their families, the presidency said.
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said earlier on X that the plane crashed near a naval base.
Keyamo and Tinubu described it as an ATR-42 — a twin-engine turboprop that the manufacturers say can carry between 30 and 50 passengers.
A video circulating on social media showed a small crowd gathered near a river while rescuers searched the area by boat. Tinubu said he had “directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences”.
Dayo Akinte, 39, a firewood hawker who lives about a kilometre (mile) from where the accident occurred, described to AFP hearing a sound she thought was “thunder”, referring to the time she believes the plane went down.
Since the crash, “three aircraft have also been flying over the scene”, she said by phone.
She said someone who went fishing in the swamp alerted the nearby naval base and people in the town about the crash.
Igbokoda is located in Ilaje, an oil-producing region in southern Nigeria.
